Backfiring 82 KZ1100. Won't start.

Question is, should I sleep on until I receiver my larger jets?

Is it normal for the bike to run like this (run is a big word, it doesn't run, it starts, it pops, it dies) with only pods and muffler mods.

From what I understood with theses modifications, the bike night not run well without rejeting, but that ain't 'not' well, I call it scary (it pops like a machine gun).

No somethings wrong. Will it run on the choke?
Pics.
Steve

It will start with choke on, but will start carb popping immediately. if I close the choke and let go the throttle, popping stops, but it will only run for about 6 to 10 seconds, when I hear that it will die, if I give a little throttle, it will wake up a bit but starts popping again. These are repetitive pops, non stop. Loud ones, I see flames true my pod filters.

:huh: The advance unit center-bolted to the crank end has an outer sleeve which rotates slightly on a fixed center-shaft. It is held in-place by two spring-tensioned metal fingers, which engage the holes in the outside of the sleeve. You need to get both the fingers open at the same time (tricky) in order to remove the sleeve. The sleeve is the only part that would have orientation changed 180 degrees, and should be cleaned/lightly-lubricated on the inside, so it can freely rotate on the shaft.
If I recall correctly, the Kawasaki KZ1100 service manual has a good description how to properly service the mechanism.
Hope this helps...

Also, you will want to confirm the coil with the green wire, while in the running configuration, is on the coil firing 2 and 3.

This will not be the problem with rough running, but you need to get the bike back into it's original configuration to avoid confusion and conflicts with troubleshooting. This is especially true for trying to diagnose a misfire.

One other thing that can affect things are the magnets in the pickup unit. If they were removed and put back upside down, timing will be way off. Have you checked spark timing with a strobe?

thanks for your replies guys.

- no i dont have a strobe to check timing... even if I had one now, the bike can't run properly to check
- I'm 100% sure the advancer is fine and aligned properly, i actually tripped checked. My manual dosnt desccribe much the advancer...
it only says that its not meant to be dissemble, and talks about alignment only.
- I'm going to put the green wire back on the right coil and rotate the avancer 180 degree off just to see... but by doing that, the mark is not going to be aligned
- I bought a good running (what i was told) kz1000 for parts, it can't be put on the road. I'll could start swapping parts one at the time like the advancer, ic igniter and coils to see if that makes a difference.

last question... cause i'm at work right now... WOULD IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF I SWAP RED AND GREEN ON COIL???? I mean the red is on the + side and green on negative side, but would that make a difference???

Red and green can be swapped with no effect.

ok thanks...

can the starter switch and kill switch wire connections have an effect??? I did scratch my head connecting these, looking at the kz1000 diagram.

Also, my 2 red coil wires are not connected to the backbone wire like it was suggested in www.bikeexif.com/motorcycle-wiring

the 2 reds goes directly to the ic ignitor like in the kz1000 diagram, so I guess that the power is supplied via the kill/starter switch, connected to the starter solenoid.

the starter works, but I havent tried the kill switch yet

The kill switch and start button can be wired in a way that the kill switch kills both the ignition and the starter, or it can be wired so the kill switch only kills the ignition, which would allow you to crank the motor without spark (for doing compression tests etc.).

But either way, if the bike runs, then you have power to the coils and igniter, so as long as the voltage level is good at both, it is not a problem.

thanks loud,
can you confirm this list of possible causes to my problem, at this point, i can only start from the beginning:

1. Buy new spark plugs (I fooled the new ones but I did clean them, gonna buy a new set just in case)
2. Recheck the advancer, or switch with another one.
3. Recheck for the 4th time valve clearance

other than that, I dont know what to do anymore... other than swapping the swingarm and engine from my KZ1000 into my new problematic KZ1100 shaft bike.

Could be the igniter. Do you have one to swap?
Steve

yes I do, I have a complete kz1000 for parts.